


Burning Up For You

by bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies



Series: Keith and the Blade of Marmora [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ...the blaster cauterized it, Alien Biology, Alien Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Aphrodisiacs, Gentle Sex, I still don't know if this is daddy kink or caring kink, Injury, M/M, also wildly improbable medical treatment, disclaimer: don't lick wounds... unless you know you can heal them that way, moderate description of injury, ngl this is like half plot a quarter build up and a quarter smut, not a whole lot of blood tho!, not all this distress and feelings and very little smut, shh they're aliens its okay, slow sweet and caring smut, this was supposed to be a one-shot about destressing after a mission..., unconventional medical treatment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 13:45:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14695422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies/pseuds/bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies
Summary: “Be still, Keith.”  Thace laid a hand over his hot forehead.  He didn’t want him to hurt himself by accident.  The other Blades held him down, pinning his hips and shoulders and limbs to the exam table, though it did little to stop the desperate sounds spilling from his lips as more and more of the healing agent and aphrodisiac entered him.“It’s too much…” Keith whined.  “I’m burning up… please, someone touch me…”“Let me see.”  Ulaz ignored Keith’s request in favor of peering around Antok.  The wound was no longer bleeding from anywhere. The skin was instead covered in raw-looking pink scars, almost like a the aftermath of a chemical burn.  Ulaz nodded in satisfaction and reached for the bandages and tape. “It is sufficiently healed and can do the rest on its own naturally. He’ll have to take it easy for a bit, though.  No strenuous activity that stretches his side.”As if on cue, Keith’s hips rolled up as he reached between his legs.  Ulaz smacked his hand away without looking up from where he was smoothing a large bandage over the wound.  Keith let out a sound like a discontent klanmüirl and Thace snorted in amusement as he pinned his hand against the table once more.





	Burning Up For You

**Author's Note:**

> Anon wanted Thace/Keith post-mission destressing and I came up with post-mission distress and... whatever this is. *gesticulates wildly*
> 
> (PSA: keep ur tongues away from wounds unless u know for a fact ur alien saliva has healing properties, k thanx bye)

“The transmitter is in place.”  Thace spoke quietly into his mask’s headset as he made the final adjustments to the device.  After having spent so much time undercover on the main command ship disguised as an officer, it felt strange to be back on an Imperial ship wearing his Blade uniform and mask.  The mask was all the more critical, in his case; no one could know that ‘Commander’ Thace, loyal servant to the Empire and tragically killed in a freak accident explosion, had actually survived and had been a spy the whole time.  

Thace tucked the transmitter behind a mass of tangled wires and made sure it was concealed before closing up the control panel.  Turning his attention to the computer system in front of him, he deftly unlocked it using the codes their intel had given them, his fingers flying over the keypad with well-practiced movements.  “Now hacking into the system to link the transmitter…”

“Keith, how are things looking in the corridor?”  Thace heard Kolivan’s voice through their shared communication frequency.

“Still clear, but we only have three and a half more doboshes before the next patrol comes through.”  Keith’s voice replied.

“I am nearly done here.  Just encrypting the transmitter’s location.”  Thace confirmed. A few more lines of code, and the screen flashed green.  “Transmitter online.”

“Good.  Now get out of there.”  Kolivan told him.

“Hang on.”  Keith’s voice came through as a quiet whisper.  “The patrol is early.”

Thace cursed under his breath.  This would complicate their departure immensely.  Everything was timed to the last tick, and waiting too long could mean being discovered.  He returned the system to inactive mode and crept over to the door, drawing his blade as he went.  This could get dicey.

“Keith, what’s your position?”  Kolivan asked.

“Behind a pillar.”  Keith whispered. “It’s the best I’ve got.”

“Thace?”

“Just inside the control room door.”  Thace replied. He pressed his ear to the door and strained to hear through the metal.  They would have to be right outside the door for him to hear through the thick metal, though, and by the time they were there, it would be too dangerous.  “Keith, can you switch on your external microphone? I want to get a read on them.”

A soft click was the only answer; it seemed Keith had deemed it too risky to reply for fear of being overheard.  It was faint, but the three of them could now hear the patrol unit growing closer. “--Borok says he thought he heard someone go into the control room.”  A gruff voice was saying.

“Borok’s an idiot.”  Another voice replied with a chuckle.  “He wouldn’t even notice a weblum biting him on the ass.”  

“We should still check, just to be safe.”  The first voice said.

Thace froze.  If they discovered him, it would compromise the entire mission.  An intruder in the control room would surely warrant a sweep of the system and their transmitter device would be found and destroyed, and their whole mission would have been for naught.  

Keith seemed to come to the same conclusion.  “I’ll distract them.” He whispered, voice barely audible.

“Keith, no.”  Kolivan cut him off.  “Do not engage.”

Keith didn’t reply.  There were several ticks of tense silence, then a distant _clack_ and the sound of something rolling.  It hadn’t come from Thace’s end, and he doubted it was from Kolivan, so that just left…

“Keith!”  Kolivan’s voice was sharp with reprimand.  “Do not engage. That’s an ord--”

“ _Hey_ !”  One of the patrol’s voices called out, audible through Keith’s microphone.  “Who are yo-- _ah_!  Bastard stabbed me!”  

“I’ll draw them down this corridor.”  Keith told the other two Blades, air rushing past his microphone as if he was running.  “Thace, get out of there.” There was an explosion from somewhere near Keith.

Thace waited until he could no longer hear the retreating footsteps of the soldiers through the door, then he slipped out of the control room and locked the door once more behind himself.  Another burst of blaster-fire echoed from further down the corridor, coupled with angry shouting. Thace ran toward it, blade at the ready. If he and Keith could get on either side of the two sentries, and they were alone, then maybe, just maybe, they could get out of this in one piece.  

He spoke too soon.  

“ _Augh!_ ”  Keith’s pained shout ripped through their communication frequency, the sound forcing Thace’s heart to stop beating for a moment before he ran faster.  

“Keith!”  Kolivan said.  “Are you alright?”  

The few moments of silence were agonizing to endure, before Keith groaned.  “One of them shot me. In the side. I think it’s shallow, but _fuck_ it hurts…”

Thace skidded to a halt at a fork in the hallway, cursing internally.  Another round of sharp _pop_ s came from the right, paired with a grunt from Keith in their shared frequency.  “I’m behind some crates.” Keith went on. “I don’t know what’s in them, but I don’t think they’re too eager to shoot at them.  But they’re coming and I can’t… I-I don’t have a gun…”

“I’m coming.”  Thace told him, already running.  He spotted the two sentries up ahead, both of them cautiously approaching a large stack of crates with their blasters raised.  Thace’s eyes narrowed and his grip tightened around his blade. Not on his watch.

The sentries didn’t hear him until he was right up on them.  They had only moments to turn around before he slashed his sword across the back of one of them.  The sentry dropped like a stone, weapon clattering to the floor. The other sentry raised his gun over his head as if to ram the butt of it into Thace, but Thace stopped it with his blade while he kicked the dropped sentry’s weapon in the direction of the crates.  It spun wildly across the floor and he didn’t get a chance to see where it ended up before he had to block another attack from the sentry, but at least he knew it was closer to Keith, who now desperately needed a ranged weapon to defend himself in his injured state.  

Thace struck at the second sentry, but the bastard fired his gun at the same time.  The force of the blast sent the blade spinning out of his hand, and Thace felt his stomach drop.  He was weaponless, unless he could lunge across the corridor for his sword… The sentry leered at him, realizing the same thing, and lifted his gun. 

A loud _bang_ and a burst of light flashed as the blaster streaked past him, but it came from behind him rather than in front.  It struck the sentry in the center of his chest and he choked on a gasp as he fell to the ground. Thace turned around and found Keith standing hunched over and clutching a hand to his right side, right arm raised and holding the sentry’s gun.  His arm shook, and the gun fell from his grasp with a clatter as he dropped to his knees, groaning.

Thace rushed to his side at once.  “Let me see.”

Keith took his hand away from his side, and Thace felt his heart go cold.  The blaster had ripped through his suit and left a wide gouge in his side, just below his ribcage.  The wound wasn’t bleeding, but the skin was singed black and angry red, having been cauterized by the heat of the blast.  Definitely not as bad as it could have been, but still… not good. Not good at all.

“We need to get back to the ship.”  Thace told him. “Can you stand?”

“Stand?  Probably.”  Keith groaned.  “Run? I… I don’t know.”  He looked up, and Thace wished he could see his face behind his mask.  His voice sounded pained and raw, and scared in a way Thace had never heard from him before.  “The mission’s more important than the individual, right? I can’t keep up. Just--”

“I would never leave you.” Thace cut him off, bristling at the very idea.  He snatched up his blade and tucked it into his belt, then retrieved the two guns from the sentries.  One, he pressed into Keith’s hands, and the other, he kept himself; ranged weapons would do them the most good, in this situation.  He gathered Keith up in his arms, trying to move his side as little as possible and murmuring a quiet apology as Keith hissed in pain.  

“Heading back to the docking bay.”  Thace spoke into his microphone. “Leader, we need the ship ready to go as soon as we get there.”

“On it.”  Kolivan replied.  

Thace rounded another corner, only to find another sentry patrolling at the end of the hallway.  The sentry hardly had time to turn around before his alarmed shout was cut off by a series of sharp _pop_ s as Keith fired on him.  He fell to the ground, and Thace ran past him without stopping.  When they finally made it to the docking bay, Kolivan was leaning out the door of their ship waiting for them.  He darted inside as soon as he caught sight of them, and the thrusters under the ship began to hum before they had even made it inside.  Thace jammed his elbow into the button to close the ship door, and Kolivan took off a moment later, blaster shots ricocheting off the outside of their vessel as more Galra fired on them.  

“Hang on!”  Kolivan called from the cockpit, and Thace barely had a chance to sit down on the floor before the ship swerved suddenly.  A supply box was knocked off the shelf and Thace hunched over to stop it from landing on Keith, letting it strike him on the shoulder instead.  The whole ship shuddered as they entered hyperdrive, and Thace held onto his charge tightly in lieu of any proper seatbelts. Keith hissed quietly, gritting his teeth against the pain.  

Only once they were a safe distance from the Galra base did Kolivan slow the ship from hyperdrive.  As he flicked off buttons and set the steering to manual again, he grabbed a bright orange kit out of the drawer under the pilot’s chair and kicked it toward the back of the ship.  “Check him over and do what you can. I can have us back to the base in about thirty doboshes.”

Thace nodded and uncurled himself from his protective position around Keith.  He set the boy down on the long bench meant for sitting troops and helped him lay down along it, dissolving his mask as he went.  When Keith did the same, he saw that his features were twisted with pain and his hair was sticking to the sheen of sweat covering his forehead and neck.  

“How do you feel?”  Thace asked him as he reached for the emergency kit.  

“Like I’ve just been shot.”  Keith gritted out, and Thace spared him a pointed look.  Keith groaned and lifted his head up to look down at the wound.  “It feels like it’s burning, and it hurts. Fuck, it hurts…”

Thace tugged at the torn edge of the suit, trying to see the wound better, but the armor was not made to be ripped and refused to budge past where it had been incinerated.  Thinking quickly, Thace slid a hand under the back of Keith’s neck and pulled the zipper down. Keith helped pull his arms out -- moving the right much more gingerly than the left -- and Thace pulled the suit down to his hips to get a better look at the wound.  It looked large, probably wider across than Thace’s hand, and looked like a burnt-red and blackened gouge carved into his skin with a huge laser. Thankfully, though, it was fairly shallow, and the blast didn’t seem to have hit any organs or bones. It seemed to have been mostly cauterized by the heat of the blast, but the skin and exposed flesh was blackened and charred.  

Thace ripped open a large, pre-packaged bandage from the med kit and laid it over the wound carefully.  Keith let his head fall back and whispered a quiet “ow ow ow ow…” as Thace smoothed the bandage over the wound, pressing down on the edges of it.  He was no Ulaz, but it would have to do until they could get back to the base and treat him properly.

“Leader, how long until we get to the base?”  Thace called up to the front.

“Approximately sixteen doboshes.”  Kolivan replied. “We’re halfway there.”

To Thace’s utter surprise, Keith snorted.  “Woahh, livin’ on a prayer…” He let out a weak laugh.

Thace stared at him, confused.  “Dire as the situation is, I think we have a bit more than mere prayers on our side.”  Was Keith going crazy? Into shock? Had he hit his head?

“It’s not… never mind.”  Keith grunted and touched his wound gingerly.  “ _Ah_!  Shit, that hurts…”

“Do not touch it.”  Thace took his hand and held it against the bench beside him, threading their fingers together.  There was no telling when the ship might change directions, and he didn’t want Keith to hurt himself even more.  “Just hang on, Keith. We’re almost there.”

“Yeah…” Keith’s eyes fluttered closed.  “I’m not dying from a cheap shot from a sentry, no way…”

Thace squeezed his hand, not knowing what else to say.  Keith’s hand was so tiny in his own, clutching him tightly like it was the only thing anchoring him to this reality.  He reached out and brushed some of Keith’s hair away from his face and noticed how he seemed to have drifted off to sleep.  “Keith, stay with me. You need to stay awake.”

Keith groaned and blinked his eyes open, peering up at him.  “But I’m tired…”

“You might be shock.”  Thace told him. “You must stay awake.”  He cupped the side of Keith’s cheek with his other hand, thumb stroking over the soft skin.  “Stay with me, Keith. Don’t let go.”

Keith held his gaze for several long moments, eyes open wide and trusting.  Then his eyes rolled back and his lids fluttered closed again, and no amount of shaking from Thace could rouse him.  

As if on cue, the ship skidded to a halt as it neared the docking area of the Blade of Marmora’s headquarters.  Kolivan landed the ship hastily and radioed the situation to Antok while Thace carefully gathered Keith’s body into his arms.  Ulaz and Antok met them in the med bay of the base, already getting supplies ready. Thace relayed the details of the fight and Keith’s behavior afterward to Ulaz as his mate carefully peeled off the bandage and got to work.  

“It looks like the shot cauterized the wound, so he has not lost a lot of blood.”  Ulaz said.

“Then why did he pass out?”  Kolivan frowned.

“Shock, most likely.”  Ulaz said, wetting a cloth with clear, sharp-smelling liquid and dabbing at the wound.  “This antiseptic will sting, perhaps enough to wake him up. Hold him down so he does not hurt himself.”  

Thace took hold of his narrow shoulders, pinning him gently but firmly against the table.  Keith twitched as Ulaz dabbed more antiseptic into the wound, finally peeling his eyes open with a groan.  

“Keep still, Keith.”  Ulaz told him. Keith groaned but did his best to follow the order, only flinching a little bit at the sharp sting.  As he cleaned it, the wound began to bleed a bit more, albeit sluggishly. The wound itself, once he cleared the dried blood and soot off, was a shallow gash about half a foot long and about a few inches wide.  

Ulaz huffed in frustration as he examined the wound.  “This wound should be closed somehow, but there is too much tissue gone to suture it.”  

“Can you not simply cover the wound and let it heal on its own?”  Thace asked.

“I would prefer not to.  Galra-made blasting guns contain some nasty chemicals.”  Ulaz frowned. “The risk of infection is much higher.”

“So you need to close the wound?”  Kolivan asked.

Ulaz shot him an irritated look at having to repeat himself.  “Yes.”

“I can heal the wounds from teeth in mating marks.”  Kolivan said carefully. “Antok as well. Perhaps we could try that?”  

Thace gave his leader a weird look.  “You want to lick the wound closed?”

“Do we have a better option?”  Kolivan asked tersely.

Ulaz frowned as he ran over their options.  Keith had already passed out again sometime during their discussion, his breathing shallow and feather-light.  He was worried about him. “We do not.” He sighed. “It is worth a shot, I suppose.”

Kolivan changed places with Ulaz and knelt down beside the table.  Placing one hand on Keith’s ribcage and the other on his hip for stability, he leaned in and ran his tongue over the wound, the same as he would heal a mating mark left from his teeth.  Keith twitched in his sleep, and Thace adjusted his grip on his shoulders just in case he woke up and moved. After a few licks, Kolivan pulled back to check the progress, Ulaz peering over his shoulder.  Parts of the wound were healing, but slowly, with raw, pink scars forming over the less-burnt parts. He kept going, laving his slightly rough tongue over the damaged skin.

Keith groaned softly and peeled his eyes open as his head twisted to the side.  “Wha’... what’s going on?” He asked.

“Kolivan is healing your wound the way he would a mating mark.”  Thace explained. “Keep still.”

Keith’s breath caught in his throat as Kolivan finished up another lick.  His head tipped back and his eyes fluttered closed. “Shit…”

“Are you in pain?”  Ulaz asked.

“No.”  Keith sighed.  “Feels… feels good.  Hot. I feel hot. Empty.  I want...”

Kolivan paused, and everyone looked at Keith.  His cheeks were flushed, and when Ulaz asked him to open his eyes again, they found that his pupils were dilated and blown wide.  

Thace brushed Keith’s bangs away from his damp forehead.  “Keith?”

Keith only let out a whine and turned his face into the touch, back arching off the table.  Kolivan frowned and placed a hand on his stomach to keep him from moving too much and exacerbating his injury.  “That is… unexpected.”

“Is it really, though?”  Antok pointed out.

Ulaz frowned, golden eyes flicking between the two of them.  “What? Why is he suddenly acting like he’s in heat?”

“He might be.”  Kolivan admitted.  “The healing agent also produces an euphoric effect, though it is usually hardly noticeable.  It it meant to prolong the high of the orgasm state to allow for healing to take place before the person comes down.  Ordinarily, the effects are almost negligible, but with this much...”

“It has built up.”  Antok finished. “Leaving him feeling like he is in heat.”  

Ulaz frowned pensively and peered at the half-healed wound.  “It seems to be working, at any rate. I don’t know if that is fortunate or not, now.”

“Keith?”  Thace touched his face, prompting him to open his eyes.  “Did you hear all that?”

“Yeah,” Keith swallowed and nodded.  “Makes sense. Can feel it.”

“What do you want to do?”  Thace pressed, stroking his cheek.  

Keith thought about it, even picking up his head and looking down at the wound.  He let his head drop back onto the table and closed his eyes. “Keep going. Close the wound to infection.  I’ll… I’ll deal with the rest.”

“Someone will take care of you immediately after.”  Kolivan promised. “If you are amicable.”

Keith let out a whimper and nodded.  “Please…”

“Antok, take over for a bit.”  Kolivan said, standing up. “I might be running out.”  

Antok nodded and took his place, keeping a hand on Keith’s hip and the other on the center of his torso to keep him from moving.  At the first lick of that long, slightly rough tongue, Keith’s breath hitched. After a few minutes, he twisted his head to the side and moaned, his hips rolling up in search of friction.  “Ah…”

“Be still, Keith.”  Thace laid a hand over his hot forehead.  He didn’t want him to hurt himself by accident.  The other Blades held him down, pinning his hips and shoulders and limbs to the exam table, though it did little to stop the desperate sounds spilling from his lips as more and more of the healing agent and aphrodisiac entered him.

“It’s too much…” Keith whined.  “I’m burning up… please, someone touch me…”

“Let me see.”  Ulaz ignored Keith’s request in favor of peering around Antok.  The wound was no longer bleeding from anywhere. The skin was instead covered in raw-looking pink scars, almost like a the aftermath of a chemical burn.  Ulaz nodded in satisfaction and reached for the bandages and tape. “It is sufficiently healed and can do the rest on its own naturally. He’ll have to take it easy for a bit, though.  No strenuous activity that stretches his side.”

“Something tells me it will be difficult for him to abide by that.”  Kolivan muttered. As if on cue, Keith’s hips rolled up as he reached between his legs.  Ulaz smacked his hand away without looking up from where he was smoothing a large bandage over the wound.  Keith let out a sound like a discontent klanmüirl and Thace snorted in amusement as he pinned his hand against the table once more.  

“We could tie him up.”  Antok suggested. “That would stop him from squirming.”

“You are a fool if you think Keith will sit contently trussed up.”  Ulaz scoffed. “No, he should not do anything that would cause him to strain.  Someone should mate him carefully until he is satisfied enough to rest.”

“I’ll do it.”  Thace spoke up.  “I’ll take care of him.”  

Keith let out a whine and reached for him, and Ulaz sputtered indignantly as the boy sat himself up to wrap an arm and a leg around what he could reach of Thace.  “That is _not_ resting, you _reckless_ _cub_ …” He muttered darkly as he checked the bandages.  

Thace adjusted him to hold him more securely in his arms, with an arm under his knees and behind his back.  Keith immediately leaned into him, pushing his face into the fur lining the side of Thace’s neck under his ear tufts.  

“Leader, permission to retire for the evening?”  Thace asked.

Kolivan smiled wryly.  “Permission granted. I’ll write up our post-mission report, don’t worry.  Take care of him.”

“Yes, sir.”  Thace most certainly would.  If it hadn’t been for Keith distracting the sentries so that Thace and the transmitter could remain undiscovered, Keith would not be in this situation now.  He had gotten hurt, badly hurt, and all to protect Thace. He owed Keith his life, yet again; he still hadn’t forgotten how the young Blade had insisted he flee the explosion with him when they met on the command ship, refusing to leave until Thace promised to go too.  And he had known nothing about him yet, save for that they were allies working for the same cause. Keith had a heart of molten gold, pure and fiery and radiant as a star. He would scorch the earth just to save a comrade in need and would leave a wake of fire burning those who sought to hurt the ones he cared about.  Kolivan called him an ‘untempered blade’, but Thace could not help but admire his fiery spirit.

Now, his spirit was not the only thing on fire.  Thace could feel the heat emanating off Keith’s skin where he was pressed against him, his hot and heavy breaths ruffling the fur lining Thace’s throat.  He reached up an arm to thread his fingers into the fur under his ear tufts, then let out a quiet hiss and gripped at the glowing stripes on his chestplate instead, muttering a soft “ow…”

“Are you in pain?”  Thace asked, turning down the corridor where the dormitories were located.  

“No, just sore.”  Keith sighed and nuzzled closer.  “Feel hot. Wanna fuck.”

“We will do no such thing.”  Thace told him. In response to Keith’s panicked protest, he went on.  “You need to be resting and healing. I’ll mate you, but we must be careful.  None of that rough ‘fucking’ you’re so fond of.”

Keith let out a _hmph_ but didn’t argue with that.  “As long as I get a cock in me soon, I’ll be fine.”  

“Then you will need to unlock your door.”  Thace pointed out, amused.

Keith grumbled like an upset wild Kazrlgi Squikqwl and did not release his hold on Thace nor remove his face from the side of his throat.  To Thace’s utter surprise, he pushed his toe against the heel of his other foot and let the shoe drop to the floor with a _clunk_ as he pressed his bare foot to the sensor next to his door.  Thace’s surprise mounted further when the fingerprint scanner glowed green and the door slid open to admit them.  

“I did not know that would work.”  Thace admitted, nudging the fallen shoe inside with them.

“Discovered it by accident.”  Keith huffed.

“How so?”  Thace asked, curiosity piqued.  

Keith’s ears pinked and he looked away.  “Uh, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Fair enough, they had more pressing matters to attend to that talking.  He laid Keith down on his bed and checked the bandages again. “How are you feeling now?  Is the heat any less?”

“No, feels stronger.”  Keith’s words petered off into a whine as he tugged Thace closer.  “Want you. Please…”

“You will have me.”  Thace leaned down to coax him into a kiss.  “But you must keep still, because of your wound.”  He placed a palm on Keith’s abdomen to keep him from rolling his hips against the knee Thace had balanced between his legs.  

“But--”  Keith’s protest was swallowed by Thace as he kissed him, deep and slow.  

“Shh, little cub.”  Thace slid his hand down to his hip, tugging the rest of the suit down.  “Just relax. Let me take care of you.”

“Thace…” Keith moaned when the Galra finally touched between his legs.  Thace laid between his legs, thighs brushing his ear tufts, and brushed the pad of a single finger over his mound and down to his soaked folds.  The tip of his eager cock immediately poked out of the sheath, so Thace wasted no time in closing his lips around it and swirling his tongue around the emerging length while he slid a finger inside his slick-soaked hole.  Keith cried out at the stimulation and his hips bucked up, back arching.

Thace frowned and pulled off, finger going still inside him.  “If you cannot control yourself, then we will not do this. I’ll not have you injuring yourself further on my behalf, not when I have any say in it.”  

Keith let out a whimper, but relaxed.  “I’ll be good. I’ll be good.” He promised, chest heaving with the effort of staying still.  

Thace nodded and went back to his ministrations, drawing his cock out with his tongue and slipping another finger into Keith’s eager hole.  Keith cried out again, but true to his word, he refrained from moving around. He kept still as Thace sucked on his cock and scissored his fingers before easing a third inside, stretching him further.  

“Thace, _please_ …” Keith begged, after Thace had spent nearly a dozen minutes slowly building up his pleasure.  “Please, I need you… I’m burning up, I’m dying…”

Thace growled and withdrew his fingers, leaning over Keith to look him in the eyes.  His wide, pleading, blown-pupil eyes. “You are not dying. Do not even joke of such a thing.  Not after today.”

Keith’s eyes widened, then rolled back with a groan as Thace lined himself up and pushed in slowly.  

Thace laid wet kisses down the side of his throat as he rested, fully-seated, inside the much smaller Blade, giving him the chance to adjust to Thace’s thick girth.  “We nearly lost you today,” Thace whispered against his pale, soft skin. “When I heard you scream… I thought you had been killed. All because you tried to keep me safe.  And again, on the ship… I feared you wouldn’t make it. I feared I had lost you.” He buried his face against Keith’s throat, inhaling the scent of him and relishing in the warmth under his skin, his pulse jumping with life.

Keith took a deep breath and brought his hands up to thread his fingers into Thace’s fur, holding him close.  “I’m okay.” His voice was quiet, as if having only just realized the depth of his actions. “I’m okay.”

“And you had best stay that way.”  Thace told him. “I could never forgive myself, if you died protecting me.  Stay alive, Keith, please.”

“You too.”  Keith pulled him down for a kiss.  “You stay alive, too.”

Thace nodded, and decided that he had kept the boy waiting long enough.  He eased back, drawing himself about halfway out, then slowly thrust back in.  Keith let out a wet moan against his lips and clutched his furred back tightly.  When he hooked his legs around Thace’s hips, though, Thace firmly pushed the right one back down onto the bed.  “Mind your wound.”

“Mm, ‘s fine,” Keith grunted.  “Feels like it’s nearly healed.”  

“It doesn’t work that fast.”  Thace chuckled, sliding himself further into that tight heat with every miniscule thrust forward.  

Keith let out a whine and clutched him tighter.  “Thace… faster, harder…”

“No.”  Thace told him simply, slowly drawing out before pushing back in.  “I nearly lost you already today. I’ll not risk hurting you further.”

“Please…” Keith looked up at him, eyes shining, and Thace faltered.  He couldn’t say no to that.

“Just a little.”  He admitted. “You must tell me at once if your wound hurts, though.”  He waited until Keith nodded in agreement before gripping one of his hips and thrusting deeper and a touch faster, but still not enough to rock him on the bed.  Each thrust dragged a cry or a breathy gasp out of Keith’s chest, the sounds intoxicating for Thace.

“Ah!  Ahh…” Keith moaned, head thrown back and inky-black hair spilling across the pillow.  Thace leaned down and mouthed at his pulse point. A set of hands came up to tangle in the fur at the back of his head, blunt, rounded nails scratching lightly against his scalp.  

It didn’t take long for Keith to come, pent up as he was.  The tightening heat was overwhelming to Thace, and he came only a few thrusts later, finishing deep inside the smaller Blade.  The two of them were left panting hard against each other’s skin and fur. When he came back to himself, Thace carefully pulled out and laid down beside Keith on the bed.  He immediately checked the bandages on his side, but though the skin around them was sweaty and sticky from Keith’s cum, the dressings had held firm. He nodded, satisfied, and turned his attention to brushing dark locks of hair away from Keith’s sweaty forehead.  

Keith peeled his eyes open and looked up at him.  “Thace?”

“Yes, cub?”  Thace replied, carding his claws through soft hair.

“...I still feel really hot.”  

Thace chuckled.  “I am not surprised.  Your body absorbed a lot of that healing agent and its side effects.  But worry not, I’ll take care of you, for as long as you need.” He promised, bumping his cheek against Keith’s as he reached between his legs once more.  

**Author's Note:**

>  ~~this fic is a hot mess, I don't even know~~  
>  I got to the end of this and realized a very little percentage of this was actually smut, despite the length. Whoops? Hope it was still enjoyable (I liked it, at least)
> 
> As always, I have a [ tumblr](http://gold-leeaf.tumblr.com/) and a [NSFW tumblr](https://bouquetofwhoopsiedaisies.tumblr.com/) if you want to see me scream about Voltron, or shoot me a request. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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